Begin Again
by SnowandJames4eva
Summary: On his weekly coffee runs to the Café Musain, the young law student starts to take notice of a girl who always sits alone and reads at the same table, always at the same time. He begins to make his stops more frequent in hopes of catching a glimpse of her while slowly working up the nerve to talk to her, unaware that she's already noticed and has been doing the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my lovely readers! Here's the Epjolras AU I promised! A HUGE thanks to judybear236 for being a FABULOUS beta! **

**Summary: ****On his weekly coffee runs to the Café Musain, the young law student starts to take notice of a girl who always sits alone and reads at the same table, always at the same time. He begins to make his stops more frequent in hopes of catching a glimpse of her while slowly working up the nerve to talk to her, unaware that she's already noticed and has been doing the same.**

**DISCLAIMER: This story idea is NOT my own. I found the above summary on an AU tumblr post and let my mind wander. I do not own the cover image or Les Miserables. **

**Also since this is a modern-day AU, I'm making it sound more modern with the names of the barricade boys. Aaron Enjolras, Dalton Grantaire, Killian Combeferre, Marius Pontmercy, Courfeyrac is just Courf. (all except Killian and Marius prefer their last name)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

I fix my tie as I run down the street towards Café Musain. I'm late. Again. She's going to kill me. It's the third time in a row. I swing my satchel for school over a young boy's head to avoid hitting the kid. "Sorry!" I shout behind me. I slow to a quick walk and head into the café.

"Aaron Enjolras!" Taylor calls from our booth in the back. She sounds angry. And the look on her face doesn't seem like a happy good morning smile

I hurry to the booth and lean in to give her a kiss. "Hey Taylor," I reply.

She leans away from me. "You're late. Again." She crosses her arms in annoyance. "Why?"

"I'm sorry Tay, I overslept. The amount I've been studying for my TORTS exam is insane. I promise I won't be late any—"

Taylor holds up her hand. "Save it Aaron. It's whatever. No big. Stop making excuses. You're a bit lazy. So what? Not like _I_ was on time." She stands and loosens my tie. "Will you go get our coffee?" I nod and set down my bag.

"Decaf?" I ask.

She nods and gives me a kiss. "Always." I turn and walk towards the line. She calls after me, "And take off your tie, I hate that one!"

I roll my eyes and readjust the tie to its proper place. I did get a kiss at least. So maybe she isn't as mad as I'd assumed she'd be. Maybe she'll cool off a bit. God, I hope so. I pull my wallet out of my back pocket as I get to the front of the line. Looks like Grantaire's running the register this morning. Dalton Grantaire, prefers to use his last name like I do, he's the brother I never had. My best friend. I need to chat with him for a bit. Get all this Taylor drama off my chest.

"Morning Enj," he mutters. He's massaging his forehead. He looks dead. Literally. Dark circles under his eyes. Killer headache. He's hung-over, I can tell. But then again, when is he ever not? Grantaire begins to punch in my usual order, Taylor's decaf and my latte.

"How much did you drink last night man?" I ask him.

He shakes his head. "I don't even remember. A lot probably. Got one hell of a hang-over I'll tell ya though. But _damn_, Enj, it was so worth it. The girls I picked up. Phew, they were hot. It was a blast. I honestly don't understand why you never come to the campus parties."

I chuckle and roll my eyes. "Add a water to today's bill." When he gives me a confused look I add, "It's for you Grantaire. Drink it. And sober up man!" I joke, handing him a ten dollar bill.

Grantaire salutes me. "Aye, aye, Mr. Lawyer, sir!" He hands me my change and proceeds to get the coffees.

"Not a lawyer yet," I reply sarcastically.

He waves his hand dismissively. "Whatever you say Enj. Hey, Taylor was there last night too. So therefore, you have no excuse as to why you didn't come!" he tells me over his shoulder.

That stops any joking remark I would've used. Taylor always says she doesn't want to go to the campus parties. That she doesn't need to get wasted to have some fun. That's another reason I don't go. But she never wants to hang out those nights. Never said why. So that puts me at home, studying for my exams (specifically my TORTS) or catching up on some late night TV. I shake my head. "Tay doesn't go to those parties. You know that Grantaire."

He shrugs. "Tell that to Marius and Cosette. Taylor was _all_ over him last night. Cosette was pretty pissed," he quickly adds, "but Taylor _was_ pretty wasted. Don't sweat it Enj." He turns back to me with both coffees. "But…you could do a lot better Enj." There he goes again, hinting once more that Tay isn't good for me. Grantaire smiles sympathetically.

"Thanks," I reply glumly. He won't give me a straight answer about Tay anymore. None of the guys will, not Marius, Courf, or Killian. I don't even know if they're telling the truth. But, then again, they haven't any reason to lie. I take the coffee cups from Grantaire and turn around. I don't even notice the girl standing behind me. The next thing I know, Taylor's decaf is all over the girl and my latte on me.

"Oh God! I'm so sorry!" we both say.

"No it was my fault!" she says.

At the say time I reply, "It's my fault."

She laughs and pushes her hair from her face. "It's alright. I should watch where I'm going I'll pay you back."

I shake my head. "No! Honestly, it's no bother. I'm really sorry. Let me give you some money for a new blouse." I pull a twenty from my wallet and hand it to her.

She blushes. "Um, thanks." She takes the twenty from my hand and quickly turns around, leaving the cafe.

I give a delayed, half-hearted wave. Sighing, I look down at my coffee-stained shirt. "She's gonna kill me now," I mumble.

"Enj," Grantaire says behind me. I turn around. There he waits with two brand new coffees. "Here. On the house."

I give him a grateful smile. "Thanks man." As I walk back to my seat, the image of the nameless girl burns in my mind. She had beautiful black hair and was wearing torn jeans and black Converse tennis shoes with her now stained blouse. She was breathtaking. And I know there is no way I can get her out of my head now.

"Aaron! What did you do to your shirt?!" Taylor demands, "It was brand new!"

I hand her the decaf, not saying a word. I sit down in the booth and look directly into her eyes. "Did you go to the campus party last night?"

She scoffs, "Aaron, why would I go to that? You _know _I hate those parties." She's lying. Grantaire was right. I could do a lot better than her. And I'm going to. Starting now.

"Taylor! Quit lying to me. Grantaire told me you were all over Marius. How could you do that to me? To _us?" _I grab my satchel and stand to leave.

"I was drunk Aaron! You're the only one for me I swear!" Taylor stands and grabs my arm.

I shake her off. "No. Taylor. Not again. The guys are right, I can do a _hell _of a lot better. We're done. Goodbye Taylor." I pick up my latte and walk out of the cafe.

* * *

_Eponine circles around to the back of the cafe, quickly going into the worker's entrance. "Dalton!" she hisses._

_ Grantaire comes into the back room quietly and grins. "What'd I tell ya Ep? He's not going to be able to get you out of his head."_

_ She blushes and bites her lip. "He's cute. There's no lying there."_

_ Grantaire pats her back. "Before you know it, you two will be walking down the aisle."_

_ Eponine re-shoulders her book-bag and rolls her eyes. "I'll see you in class."_

_ "No promises!" he shouts as she exits. He chuckles before heading back out to the register._

* * *

**Please review? I'm already working on the next chapter!**

_***Enjolras: PLEASE!**_

_**Eponine: Yeah, please! I want to see where she takes it!**_

_**Me: You guys are dorks. You already know exactly how it ends too.**_

_**Enjolras: Hey, that's what you said last time too. And then you cut me out of A Second Chance. *crosses arms***_

_**Me: REALLY?! This? Again?!**__*****_

**Looks like Enjolras and I have to chat.**

**Snow**


	2. Chapter 2

**WOW! Thanks for all the reviews guys! The reaction to the story was CRAZY and I didn't expect it at all. (even on tumblr it was huge). So, here's the second chapter!**

**HUGE THANKS to judy236 for beta-ing:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the lyrics to Falling Slowly from Once. (you'll understand why this is here when you read;) Nor do I claim ownership to the original plot idea!**

* * *

I walk down the street towards Café Musain, whistling. It's been about a month since I ended things with Taylor and honestly, I've never felt better. I've been able to use all my time that used to be spent with her on stuff I enjoy. I joined the debate team, found time to read some good books, and took guitar up again. Plus, I'm still able to take time to study for my TORTs that are next week and hang out with the boys. It's great! Complete freedom. I might stay this way for awhile. Live the single life. There isn't really any girl who has actually caught my eye.

No. That's not true. Because there's her, still. The nameless girl. I haven't been able to keep her out of my mind. She's here (at the café) every morning. Always before me. She sits in the back corner, reading. Every day. There's something about her. Something intriguing. I don't know exactly what it is about the girl, but she makes me nervous. Of course, I don't show that. I haven't talked to her since I spilt my coffee on her. Truthfully, I don't know what I would say if I talked to her.

I open the door of Café Musain and sneak a glance to the back corner. There she is, as always. Reading. I try and read the title of the book. The Great Gatsby. Great novel. One of my favorites. I quickly look away as she glances up and makes brief eye contact with me.

I hurry up to the counter. "Hey Grantaire," I say.

"Someone's chipper today," he says handing me a hot latte. "Made it early. Figured you'd be here this morning,"

I chuckle and pay him. "Well, I don't believe I've ever gotten anything else. Thanks man." He hands me my change and suddenly I'm asking, "D'you know anything about the girl back there?"

Grantaire arches his head towards her. "Her?"

I nod. "Yeah. Her."

"Éponine Thenardier. Marius' best friend. My good friend. Musical Theatre major. Beautiful voice. And I bet she's the only person better at song-writing then you. Why?" I move out of the way for the next customer.

"No reason. Just wondering. Thanks Grantaire." He salutes me jokingly. I roll my eyes and turn, walking over to the table that is directly across from her chair. She looks up at me again and smiles to herself. I duck my head and open my songbook. I'm working on writing again. I tap my pen against my book, thinking. I've written three lines. And now, I'm stuck.

_I don't know you. But I want you. All the more for that._

It's about her. Then again, everything has been about her lately. Éponine. Even her name is beautiful.

I glance over again and catch her eye. From the looks of it, she was staring at me. She blushes once again and goes back to her book, tucking one leg under the other. She reaches for her coffee and accidentally knocks it over. "Crap," she mutters. Quickly, she picks the cup back up and stands to go get napkins.

I know this is the only chance I have at saying anything to her. Immediately, I grab some napkins from my table and hurry to her. "Here!" I blurt. "I...um...you can use these."

"Uh, thanks." She takes the napkins and starts to wipe up the small spill.

I kneel next to her. "Would you like some help?" I ask. Idiot. Of course she wants help! Stupid.

She shakes her head. "No I'm fine. It wasn't too bad." She stands, "Um, thank you, for the napkins."

I stick my hands in my pockets. "Oh! Yeah the napkins! Sure! No problem. I mean, they practically grow on trees!" I say quickly, not pausing to think about what actually comes out of my mouth.

She looks down, cheeks flushed. "Yeah. Practically. Anyways, I'll um, I'll see you around." She grabs her book and coffee, shoulders her bag, and turns around.

"Aaron!" I say suddenly.

She stops and refaces me. "Sorry, what?"

"Aaron Enjolras. My name."

She smiles at me and nods. "Éponine." She puts her hand on the strap of her bag and turns back around, walking out of the café.

I give a delayed wave once more. There she goes again. Only this time, she's no longer the nameless girl. She's...well, Éponine. It's then that the next lines for my song hit me:

_Words fall through me._  
_And always fool me._  
_And I can't react._

* * *

**~EPJOLRAS~EPJOLRAS~EPJOLRAS~**

**Tel1234-Thank ya!**

**judy236-you shall see dear, you shall see;) Thanks again for being an AMAZING beta!**

**Singmyangel-I hope Enjy was still a bit 'statue like' in this chapter. I KNOW it was OOC for him but there's a reason for that. Honestly, I'm still playing around with him seeing as how this is the first time I've actually _written_ Enj it's experimental. The next chapter he could be completely different. It all depends on what he wants. _*Enj: Exactly. Well-said, well-said. I really do like not being completely marble sometimes*_**

**Eponine Daee-Caught meee;) Haha! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (and don't worry too much about Taylor. She won't be back... *_Eponine: till Snow is evil and makes her ruin my chances with Enjolras probably..*frowns**_**

**Eponnia-YOUR STORY IS SO BEAUTIFUL! I'm not done catching up yet but I LOVE IT! Okay sorry just needed to say that:) I'm so glad you enjoy mine! Don't worry about me trying to compete or any competition from me AT ALL! I am just trying to write what comes to my head haha:)**

**ElevensSweetie16-OMG I didn't even REALIZE that until your review! Taylor is actually the name of one of my best friends and I'd been talking to her before I started writing and just used her name! (No, she's actually NOTHING like the story Taylor LOL) but the fact that you caught that small thing makes me so happy! Grantaire is quite a joy to write actually, super super fun because I get to be really playful with his speech and secretive matchmaking ;) Thirdly_ *Enj: We'll take this one over! I'm glad you enjoy our conversations with your lovely author. She would be in the middle of a revolution if she didn't put them in. *sticks hands in jacket pockets* Right Ep?_**

**_ Eponine: That's right Enj!* _those two I tell ya;)**

**Guest: THANKS :)**

**~EPJOLRAS~EPJOLRAS~EPJOLRAS~**

**Again thanks all of you! If you'd like to bargain for a sneak peek (or even just what's up next;), I'm sure something can be arranged via PM**

_***Eponine: Oh you guys really do want to know what she's doing next it's pretty great if I do say so myself!**_

_**Enj: It really is though. Man, I'm just excited to act it out!**_

_**Eponine: Same! Plus, there's that one scene later on where-**_

_**Me: *covers her mouth* ALRIGHT you two! No spoiling what comes in like FIVE CHAPTERS! Goodness. And by the way, Enj, can I borrow your jacket? It's more suiting to your revolutionary days. So therefore, you should give it to me.**_

_**Enj: No.**_

_**Me: Please?**_

_**Enj: Heck no!**_

_**Me: Why not?!**_

_**Enj: It's **_**my _jacket. M. I. N. E._**

**_Me: We'll discuss this later.*_**

**NOTE:**

**A Second Chance: HOPEFULLY tomorrow. NO promises though. It's hard for me to find time between being half-grounded (so computer limitations), family time, spring break, and life in general to get the whole thing written and edited and yeah. So fingers crossed for that.**

**OUAT Readers: **

**Whatever it Takes: Updated already today which I was pretty proud of! Maybe by Saturday? I'm going on a choir trip starting Wednesday and goes till Sunday and I'm not sure if the wifi at the hotel is free or not...**

**Something Was Found: TOMORROW or WEDNESDAY I PROMISE! I have this BRILLIANT idea for it and I just need to write it down and then post it! Maybe even tonight depending on whether or not I get distracted giffing or watching Doctor Who...**

**TVD Readers:**

**Damon's Letters: I'm gonna try REALLYYYY hard to get it up BEFORE the episode Thursday BECAUSE I just want to say now, I had NO IDEA the show was going to take Delena to NYC. That was just my mind thinking it'd be fun for those two to go there...So I want to get my take on New York up BEFORE the episode...**

**Review?:)**

**Snow**


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